6 Things Hiring Managers Think But Don’t Say

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By Lindsay Olson

A job interview can be nerve-racking. Hiring managers, after all, are known for their poker faces; you can never really know what one is thinking about you, sweaty palms and all. Or can you? Here are six things that an human resources manager might be thinking, and how you can present your best self in an interview.

1. Will she always be late like this? Even if you’re normally punctual, showing up late to an interview can cause the hiring manager to wonder if this is a regular occurrence. She may reason that if you were serious about this job you would have taken measures to circumvent the traffic/getting lost/not knowing what to wear excuse you used upon coming in the door.

What to do: Give yourself twice as long as you think you need to get ready and drive to your interview. It’s better to be early than late and have her questioning your level of commitment. If you arrive early, stay in the car and practice your interview answers.

2. Is this how he’ll dress at work? Come to an interview in less than professional dress, and you might get a raised eyebrow from the person interviewing you. They say “dress for the job you want,” so if you come in wearing flip-flops or a mini-skirt, the hiring manager might assume you’re not professional enough for the job.

What to do: Even if you wear more casual clothing for the position you’re interviewing for, it’s better to dress up than to dress down.

3. Did he lie on his résumé? If you stumble when asked questions you should be able to answer, the employer may think you fibbed on your résumé. You might chalk it up to nervousness, but she may not see it that way. That’s why practicing how you’ll respond to certain questions, like those about your past work duties and accomplishments, can help you speak confidently in an interview.

What to do: Always, always be completely honest on your résumé, and prepare to back up and elaborate on anything an employer might have questions about.

4. Will he jump ship? If you have a short stint at a company (for less than a year), a hiring manager may wonder about your ability to commit to a job long-term. And it is, of course, her goal to find the right person for the job and avoid a difficult and costly replacement.

What to do: Prepare to overcome that obstacle immediately. While you don’t need to draw attention to it, you do need to be able to quickly explain those jumps and set the hiring manager’s mind at ease. You know what you’re looking for in your next move and can ask the right questions during the interviews to determine if the opportunity fits your needs and long-term career goals.

5. Is he this sloppy in his work? If your résumé is riddled with grammatical errors, you probably won’t even get a call for an interview. Even if your day-to-day job doesn’t involve a lot of writing, a hiring manager wants to know that you pay attention to your work and can catch mistakes without correction from a superior.

What to do: Proofread your résumé repeatedly. Use spell check. Proofread it again. Then have at least two friends proofread it. This is the one document you can’t send out with mistakes. Employers at this stage in the evaluation process can be unforgiving.

6. His personality isn’t a good fit. Your skills and experience plays a large role in a hiring manager’s decision of whether you’re the ideal candidate or not, but your personality and “culture fit” are equally important. This may be difficult to master, since you never know what she’s looking for in terms of what will mesh well with the existing team.

What to do: If you’re known for being outspoken, dial it down a little. If you’re normally shy and soft-spoken, ratchet it up. You want to be yourself and let your personality shine, but don’t allow your nerves to overemphasize some of your personality traits.

Fitness Bucket List for Guys

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By Myatt Murphy, Fitness Reporter

The five fitness goals every man should try to reach

There are a few fitness goals that every guy knows he needs to achieve within his lifetime. Some are simply designed to boost a guy’s ego and give him something to brag about, while others are essential to helping him live a longer, healthier life. In no particular order, here are five of the top achievements every guy should try to accomplish — even if it’s just to say you did it once.

Bucket list item #1: Achieve a waist circumference of .80 or less

Why it’s important for men: First, measure the circumference of your waist at its narrowest spot. Next, measure the circumference around your hips and butt at its the widest spot. Finally, divide your waist circumference by your hip circumference. The higher it is over .80, the more belly fat you’re packing in your midsection, and, the higher your odds of developing heart disease.

Best ways to reach your goal: The key to losing weight wisely is eating only the amount of calories that your body requires, then doing some form of exercise that forces it to burn off excess body fat.

To start, take your current weight and subtract 10. Then multiply that new number by 12, and then againby 15. The two numbers you’re left with is the range of calories your body truly requires each day to maintain that bodyweight. For example, if you’re currently 210 pounds, you would subtract 10 from your bodyweight to get 200, then multiply 200 by 12 (to get 2,400) and 15 (to get 3,000). That would mean you should only consume between 2,400 to 3,000 calories each day.

With your diet in place, the next step is to add some form of aerobic activity into your schedule at least three times a week (up to five times a week) for at least 30 minutes each session. Afterwards, you’ll stick with this formula, but adjust it weekly by reweighing yourself, then take your ‘new’ current weight (which should be one or two pounds lighter), subtract it by ten and multiply it by 12 and 15 for a new, lower calorie range.

Pitfalls to avoid: Don’t drastically decrease the amount of calories you eat in an effort to drop weight faster. Reducing your caloric intake can cause your body to convert more of the calories you’re eating as unwanted body fat.

Bucket list item #2: Bench press 1.5 times your bodyweight for one rep

Why it’s important for men: It’s the granddaddy of all chest exercises, but more importantly, it’s the single exercise that every guy uses as the benchmark when it comes to where they rate strength-wise compared to other men.

Best ways to reach your goal: Bad form is the biggest reason most men never reach this fitness goal, but doing it the right way from the start can build a foundation of strength that can allow any guy to quickly add on the pounds.

To begin, lie face up on an exercise bench with knees bent, feet flat on floor. Grab a barbell with an overhand grip, hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Lift the bar off the rack and hold it directly above your chest, arms straight and perpendicular to the floor. Slowly lower the bar down to your chest, then forcefully push the bar back up until your arms are straight, elbows unlocked. Inhale as you lower the bar, then exhale as you press it back up into the start position.

Pitfalls to avoid: Keep your head, back, and butt touching the bench at all times. Arching your back positions your body to allow other muscles — particularly your triceps — to help lift the weight, which removes effort from your chest, while placing your lower back at less risk of strain.

Bucket list item #3: Do 10 pull-ups

Why it’s important for men: Pull-ups aren’t just ideal for letting a man demonstrate his overall strength, but they’re also one of the best back exercises out there. In addition to being one of the top five back exercises for building size and power, they also target your latissimus dorsi — the muscles that flare out along the sides of your body — helping a man achieve a more V-shaped symmetry that tapers his torso and creates the illusion of a narrower waistline.

Best ways to reach your goal: Just like the bench press, the main reason most men never achieve this goal is because they never do the exercise the right way from the very start. Here’s the best form to use: Grab the bar with a supinated grip (palms facing you), hands shoulder-width apart. Hang from the bar with your arms straight, elbows unlocked. Pull yourself up until your chin clears the bar. Lower yourself back down into the start position and repeat.

If you’re not strong enough to do this exercise for the required number of repetitions, attach one end of a stretch band to the chin-up bar, let the other end hang down, then put one foot through the end of the band. This trick can help support a partial portion of your weight, so that you’re able to perform the exercise for the required number of repetitions without sacrificing your form.

TIP: If you’re heavy, the type of resistance bands you’ll find in stores may be too thin and not support as much of your weight. The strength bands that the pros swear by to support any sized guy are from Muscle Driver USA.

Pitfalls to avoid: Avoid jerking and twisting yourself up to reach the bar. The movement should always be steady and fluid, or else you could be compromising your neck, wrists and elbows.

Bucket list item #4: Sprint one mile in 6.5 minutes or less

Why it’s important for men: Have you ever seen a male sprinter that didn’t have a muscular physique? There’s a reason sprinters tend to not look as lean and lanky as their long-distance, marathon-racing male counterparts. That’s because traditional cardio does very little to elevate your metabolism and build muscle.

Sprinting on the other hand elevates your metabolism for a long amount of time, allowing your body to burn fat while helping it to add muscle fast. It also burns through stored glycogen much faster than sticking with a traditional long-duration, steady-state aerobic workout, causing your body to turn to stored fat as a fuel source a lot sooner.

Best ways to reach your goal: The best approach for building up sprinting speed and endurance is to break up your workouts into shorter distances with rest periods in between. This six-week plan is designed to be performed three times a week with one day rest in between each workout. After walking in place for five minutes to warm up your muscles, try this six-week routine. In between each and every sprint, you’ll rest no more than one full minute to keep your heart elevated.
Week 1: Sprint 20 yards x3; 40 yards x3; 60 yards x3
Week 2: Sprint 20 yards x2; 40 yards x2; 60 yards x2; 80 yards x2
Week 3: Sprint 20 yards x3; 40 yards x3; 60 yards x3; 80 yards x3
Week 4: Sprint 30 yards x2; 50 yards x2; 75 yards x2; 100 yards x2
Week 5: Sprint 30 yards x3; 50 yards x3; 75 yards x3; 100 yards x3
Week 6: Sprint 30 yards x2; 50 yards x4; 75 yards x4; 100 yards x3

At the start and end of the six-week program, try sprinting full out for seven minutes to measure how much you’ve improved your sprint time.

Pitfalls to avoid: Your body should always be in perfect alignment as you sprint. Your eyes should always stay focused ahead of you (never looking down at your feet) with your arms kept bent at a 90-degree angle at all times. With reach stroke, pump your fist towards the height of your chin, then pull your elbow back as far as you comfortably can to help propel you forward.

Bucket list item #5: Reach down and touch your toes

Why it’s important for men: Being able to bend over — or sit with your legs extended in front of you — and reach towards your feet and touch them may seem silly to some men. However, it’s having that kind of flexibility that can prevent unnecessary back pain caused from tight, stiff lower back muscles and hamstrings.

Best ways to reach your goal: Stand with your feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent. Concentrate on bending at the waist and reach your fingers towards your toes. As you go, roll your shoulders and back forward. At the bottom of the move, don’t bounce or strain to get your fingers to go lower. Instead, let your arms simply hang down, then concentrate on taking a few deep, relaxing breathes.

Pitfalls to avoid: Never stretch before warming up first. Instead, try jogging in place for three to five minutes before you stretch to bring blood into your muscles.

So what’s on your bucket list? Let us know if there are any fitness goals that you feel we missed. And maybe, we can show you how to accomplish your goal in a later post.

10 Ways to Be Honest

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By James Altucher

– Give Credit. Even if the ideas were all yours. Even if you made nothing on them. Even if they were blatantly stolen. Give credit and move on. Hoarding your ideas for the moment when you can shine, will only leave by yourself in a dimly lit room.

– BE THE SOURCE. “But if I give ideas for free, what if they could’ve made a billion dollars. I always get screwed by my partners.” If you are the source of ideas then you are ALWAYS the source. Forget the losers who steal. Move on. You become THE fountain of ideas. People come to the fountain and make wishes and throw money in. Don’t be a trickle of dirty water. Be the fountain and let people know it by giving away all credit and rewards.

– Introduce Two People. Every day you can think of at least two people to introduce to each other that will help each other. You don’t have to be in the middle. “Take me off cc” you should say. Let them help each other. Let them benefit. You don’t need to be in the middle and benefit this time. You’ll benefit next time. Or the time after that. Even if it means giving up opportunities for yourself if you think someone else would be better for the job.

– Take the Blame. I messed up in October, 2008. I was going through separation, financial crisis, I was scared out of my mind. I was managing a little bit of money a hedge fund had allocated me. I was down that month. It was ground zero of the goddamn financial crisis. I would sleep in my hammock until it would rain and storm all over me and the next thing I would know the Dow was down another 700 points while I was soaked and sick and angry. The hedge fund manager called me at the end of the month and said, “look, I’ve called you 10 times and you didn’t return the call. Just return the call once and it would’ve been ok. Now I’ve got to take the money back.” He was right. We’re good friends now and have worked together since but it took a few years to build back the trust.

– Don’t lead a double life. Everything you do takes up space in your brain. If you live a double life (and you know what I mean if I’m talking to you) then that extra life takes up neurons and synapses working overtime. The brain can’t handle it. It starts to degrade instead of grow. Living a double lilfe might’ve given you momentary pleasure but now your brain is heading straight for the gutter. And your finances, which is a reflection of the health of your brain, will fall straight into the sewer with it.

Gandhi

– Don’t be Angry. Anger is a form of dishonesty. Nobody’s perfect. It’s a lie to expect the people around you to be perfect. Sometimes I’m angry at my kids. But they are just kids. Sometimes I’m angry at people I’m trying to do deals with. But they have their own motivations, fears, worries, anxieties. They don’t have to do everything I expect of them. So my anger is really a belief that they should do what I expect them to do. That’s lying to myself and dishonest in my expectations of them. Of course, you can’t control your anger. Sometimes it just happens. But note it for what it is, examine it, and try to turn it around, even just a little – in order to learn more about yourself rather than to blame someone else. That’s where the honesty will compound.

– No excuses. When I lost money in October, 2008 it was easy to blame a manipulated market and all the criminals that led it to be that way. When I lost millions of dollars in 2000 to the point of going completely broke and losing my home it was easy to blame an “Internet bust” and “corrupt CEOs” rather than my own lack of experience in the world of money. Excuses are easy lies we tell ourselves to cover up our failures. One such excuse is, “only dishonest people get ahead.” This is also a lie.

– Make Others Look Good. This is more than just giving credit. There’s a commonly quoted rule in management: “The Pareto Rule” – which states that 80% of the work is done by 20% of the people. This is, in part, a product of an inferior standardized educational system where kids for 20 years are encouraged to do the minimum required to pass and make to the the next “level” on some imaginary ladder of success. But everyone wants to be acknowledged for small achievement. Take out your microscope. Acknowledge even the smallest accomplishments done by the people around you. Bring more and more of the people around you into the 20%. At heart, everyone wants to be perceived as special. That’s because everyone is special but are often never acknowledged that way. You be different. Be aware of the smallest movements around you and acknowledge them. Nobody will forget that.

– Don’t gossip. One time I trashed an entrepreneur I had invested in to another investor. Later that day I was supposed to have dinner with the entrepreneur. By that time, just four hours later, he had heard I trashed him. He never trusted me again. People always hear. And if they don’t hear, they feel, because word gets around. And you can’t predict this. And it’s another way of living a double life.

– Do what you say you’re going to do. Be that guy.

Genius kid

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“To become a genius takes so much more than just being high on one trait. It takes many, many factors coming together, such as drive, imagination, opportunity, perseverance, and just plain luck.”

Heidi Hankins 4 yrs old girl, with IQ almost equivalent Einstein and Stephen Hawking

London – A girl of four years has been accepted in Mensa with an IQ almost as high as Stephen Hawking and Albert Einstein. Heidi Hankins has an IQ of 159, just one point behind the two physicists. She has not entered formal school today.

Mensa is an organization for people who have a high IQ. The only requirement to become a member of Mensa is a potential member must be in the top 2% of intelligence tests that have been approved. The average score for adults was 100 and for individuals who are ‘gifted’ is 130.

Heidi defeated mathematicians who often appeared on British TV, Carol Vorderman (score 154), which is also a member of Mensa. Heidi – who has been able to add, subtract, draw shapes, and write the sentence from two years – is now well studied books for children aged 7 years.

Heidi’s father, Matthew, of Winchester, hoping his daughter could skip class in order to obtain such a challenging course.

Heidi intelligence had known since she was two years old. Public health professor at the University of Southampton was declared,s he had begun to read at that age. “She completed 30 Oxford Reading Tree book series in just one hour,” said Matthew.

While still a baby, Heidi often make noises and try to speak literally. At the age of one year is quite good vocabulary. “She uses full sentences as soon as she started talking and then taught herself to read by using a computer at the age of 18 months,” he said.

“Heidi has really flourished quicker than other children –- academically, artistically and physically,” Hankins told the paper.

“What we must understand is that Heidi can be extremely high in this one dimension but be a normal, average young girl on many other dimensions, including social and emotional development,” . “To become a genius takes so much more than just being high on one trait. It takes many, many factors coming together, such as drive, imagination, opportunity, perseverance, and just plain luck.”

Heidi’s parents are now looking at schools for her and are considering skipping a school year to make sure she is challenged by her work. It might not be easy considering she is already solving addition and subtraction problems, drawing figures of people and writing in sentences.

10 ways to make the most of a small space

How a Couple Lives in a 240-square-foot Apartment

Reading My Tea Leaves – By Erin Boyle

By Lylah M. Alphonse

1. Hide your clutter. “In a tiny apartment, an errant hair elastic can feel like it’s encroaching on your living space,” Boyle points out on her blog. “In our case, a simple wine crate tucked under the couch does the trick to keep the peace. No one needs to see the pile of papers tucked messily within.”

The view from the sleeping loft.

2. Go small. A little green can go a long way toward making a home feel fresh and lively, and tiny plants in tiny pots are a great way to do it. Also: Seek out smaller versions of things you use often — like dish-drying racks, bath mats, and other necessities — so you can leave them out in the open (and, if they’re pretty, they can be decorative as well).

3. Be creative about storage. Investing in furniture that doubles as storage is smart, no matter what size your living space. But when it comes to extra-big or extra-bulky items, you really have to think outside the box. When Casey wanted to keep his surfboard in the apartment, the couple stashed it in the bathtub for a while before deciding to prop it artfully in a corner of the living room. (“It’s made to withstand water, right?” Boyle quips.)

The couple’s hand-drawn floor plan.

4. Buy beautiful versions of everyday items. “In a tiny apartment with limited space, the beauty and utility of even everyday cleaning supplies is important,” Boyle points out. Added bonus: They’re often sturdier and longer-lasting that their flimsy plastic counterparts.

5. Be selective about art. Boyle has hung pretty antique bottles filled with dried flowers off the edge of their sleeping loft in order to liven up a difficult-to-decorate space. Consider taking out only a few gorgeous pictures at a time and rotating your display to keep things interesting.

6. Cut back on garbage. Reducing, reusing, and recycling is a must in small spaces, but those who feel really green can take things a step further by composting. Some cities offer composting services or community gardens that can put your food-related scraps to good use.

The super-clean, compact kitchen below the sleeping loft.

7. Keep the windows clean. Boyle and Casey have just two windows in their tiny apartment. One is in a hard-to-see spot in the bathroom, but the other is right in the living area, and .keeping the window sparklingly clean turns it into a focal point for the room. The couple also chose not to block off part of the window with an air-conditioning unit, instead relying on a small, retro-looking fan to get through the hot summer months.

8. Put things away right away. A sink full of dishes or a still-not-unpacked suitcase can make any home look cluttered, but when your home is tiny those things also take up precious space.

Two people share this tiny, 240-square-foot apartment in Brooklyn, N.Y.

9. Limit what you buy. Instead of stocking up at a warehouse store, make your purchases in the bulk-food (that is, non pre-packaged) section of your local grocery store, or remove products from their packaging and pour them into pretty, reusable containers at home. In the bathroom, streamline your beauty routine to just the products you use and love most, and then use them up completely before you buy more.

10. Make the city part of your living space. “Apartments are small. Summers are hot,” Boyle writes on her blog. “Don’t feel the need to stay cramped inside.” She says that she and Casey picnic in public parks and have weekend lunches on the church steps across the street. “We like our tiny apartment,” she writes. “But we’re not crazy.”

Erin Boyle and her fiance, James Casey, share this small bedroom in their small apartment.

Mars Rover Curiosity Landing 2012-08-05 22:31 PDT

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By Claudine Zap

The title is something out of a sci-fi movie. But “The Challenges of Getting to Mars: Curiosity’s Seven Minutes of Terror” is actually a video from NASA about the Mars rover, Curiosity. The dramatic video details how the August 5 landing of Curiosity might go.

As explained in the short, when the rover reaches Mars, it, must slow down from 13,000 mph to zero in seven minutes to stick the landing. And as the scientists explain in the video, due to the long-distance signal from Mars to Earth, researchers won’t know for an agonizing 14 minutes if the landing, programmed from Earth, was a success or an epic fail.

Adam Steltzner, an entry, descent, and landing (EDL) engineer at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, says, “When we first get word that we’ve touched the top of the atmosphere, the vehicle has been alive or dead on the surface for at least seven minutes.”

During that nail-biting wait, a sequence of events must fall into place for the landing of the car-sized, 1,982-pound spacecraft to have a successful descent, including use of a parachute to slow it down, firing rockets to prepare for the landing, and carefully setting it down in a crater to avoid a dust cloud.

“If any one thing doesn’t work just right, it’s game over,” explains EDL engineer Tom Rivellini on the video.
Cue dramatic music.

The suspense surrounding the event has caught the public’s attention, with online views numbering more than 364,000 and counting. Comments on YouTube include this from MrPostpone,” I don’t know why but I keep coming to watch this video over and over again. ” And from benzuckerman,”OK, now I am psyched for this — just over a month away!”

Bing Quock, assistant director of Morrison Planetarium at California Academy of Sciences, calls this “exciting times.” He writes in an email to Yahoo News, “There are so many things that could go wrong, but it’s not like NASA’s engineers haven’t thought it through. They have a way of performing the impossible, so I’ll be watching the feed on the Internet that night with fingers crossed, hoping for the best. ”

The rover cost NASA $2.5 billion to build and comes equipped with 17 cameras, a 7-foot-long robot arm, and state-of-the-art science experiments and sensors weighing 125 pounds.

All that work, scientific equipment, and a long wait could bite the dust with one false move.

Sounds pretty terrifying to us.

8 Foods that Keep You Fuller Longer

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By Lexi Petronis

Filling Foods

Has your stomach ever growled in anticipation of lunch, even though you just ate breakfast? At some point, we’ve all fallen victim to an unexplained raging appetite, which can lead to eating snacks that are high in calories, sugar and fat-and, of course, weight gain. But instead of popping pills that’ll supposedly curb hunger, turn to something surprising: food. It sounds contradictory, but eating can actually suppress your appetite-as long as you choose the right foods. Try one of these extra-satisfying eats to keep your appetite in check.

Eggs
There’s a reason people are clucking about eggs lately. A recent study from the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, LA, found that overweight people who ate eggs for breakfast take longer to get hungry later. The research participants had lower levels of ghrelin, an appetite-stimulating hormone that tells the brain to eat, and higher levels of PPY, a hormone that helps stomachs feel full. “Eggs are a perfect combination of protein and fat, so they’re more satisfying than other breakfast foods,” says Julie Kaye, MPH, RD, CDN, a registered dietitian in New York City. Worried about cholesterol? Don’t be. “Despite the high content in yolks, eggs aren’t the main culprit in raising blood cholesterol,” explains Kaye. If you’re still concerned, try liquid egg whites, which also contain protein and can stave off hunger.

Avocados
The green, creamy flesh of an avocado isn’t just tasty-it’s also filled with fiber and heart-healthy monounsaturated fat. In other words, avocados might be the perfect fill-you-up food. “Foods high in fiber and rich in fat take longer to digest, allowing you to experience less overall hunger-and possibly take in fewer calories,” says Erin Palinski, RD, CDE, LDN, CPT, author of the forthcoming Belly Fat Diet for Dummies. Research also shows that avocados’ oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat, tells your brain that your stomach is full. Just remember that, nutritious as they are, avocados are high in calories-stick to snacking on half the fruit (about 140 calories) each time.

Legumes
A serving of beans, lentils, chickpeas or even peanuts delivers the right feel-full combo of lean protein, complex carbs and good fats. According to Julie McGinnis, MS, RD, a registered dietitian, certified herbalist and owner of The Gluten Free Bistro in Boulder, CO, research has shown that this trio can keep blood sugar stable. “And stable blood sugar means getting a full feeling-and keeping it,” she says.

Cayenne Pepper
This potent spice is a proven appetite suppressant. Researchers from Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN, found that people who added half a teaspoon of the red pepper to a meal ate 60 fewer calories at their next meal. Bonus: Sprinkling half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper over some food can cause your body to burn an extra 10 calories. Ay, caramba!

Water
There are lots of reasons to raise your glass for water. H2O is critical for keeping organs, joints, tissues and the digestive system functioning well, but it can also curb hunger, says Elizabeth DeRobertis, MS, RD, CDN, CDE, a registered dietitian in Harrison, NY. In fact, one study showed that participants who drank two cups of water before a meal ate 75 – 90 fewer calories than people who drank no water at all.

Greek Yogurt
Rich in calcium and low in sugar, Greek yogurt is protein-packed-a typical six-ounce serving has 15 – 20 grams, which is twice the amount in regular yogurt and about the same as in a piece of lean meat. “The protein in foods is one of the main factors in feeling satisfied,” says Kaye. “Protein-rich foods also contain some fat in varying amounts, which also keeps you full for a longer period.”

Soup
Eat more soup, experience fewer cravings? Absolutely, according to recent research from Pennsylvania State University. In the study, women who ate a serving of low-calorie chicken and rice soup as a morning snack (don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried it!) ate 100 fewer calories at lunch than women who started their day with chicken-and-rice casserole. You can thank soup’s high water content for that full feeling-though the fiber-filled veggies and hot temperature don’t hurt (dietitians say that sipping warm liquids can curb your appetite). Make sure to slurp broth-based soups, not creamy ones, which can be fatty and highly caloric, says DeRobertis.

Almonds
All nuts have heart-healthy fats, but almonds contain the most fiber per serving, which can keep you fuller, longer. “Eating about 15 almonds between lunch and dinner can stave off that 4 P.M. energy dip, helping you avoid those cookies in the break room,” says Kaye. Interestingly, one study suggested that our bodies may not absorb all of the fat in almonds, which might lead to an overall lower calorie intake when eating them. Still, don’t overload on these snacks. “Eating too many almonds spoils your appetite for your next meal and contributes significant calories to your daily intake,” says Kaye.

Healthiest meal ever: After editing thousands of claims, scientists serve up a superdish

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By SEAN POULTER

It’s not exactly what you could call fast food. In fact, it took years of effort.

Food researchers pored over some 4,000 health claims used by manufacturers and supermarkets to tempt shoppers into buying their products.

These were whittled down to only 222 that were judged to have basis in scientific fact – and from those they have concocted a menu that is being hailed as the healthiest ever.

It includes a series of superfoods that can provide you not only with a filling main meal but also plenty of extra snacks and treats with equal health- promoting benefits.

And if you’re a follower of that popular belief that eating healthily has to be boring, think again.

This menu promises to be appetising and tasty too.

It was created by scientists at Leatherhead Food Research, an independent British organisation, using the 222 surviving health claims which have now been cleared by EU food watchdogs.

Health-giving components include Omega 3 fish oils, which are good for cholesterol, and folates, found in high-fibre multigrain bread and which boost the brain and developing babies in the womb.

The menu starts with a fresh and smoked salmon terrine, which contains Omega 3 and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) which is good for the arteries, heart and brain.

An accompanying mixed leaf salad with a dressing of extra virgin olive oil is good for maintaining normal blood cholesterol levels. Chicken casserole with lentils and mixed vegetables is a particularly nutritious main meal, with the study showing it could safely make 80 official health claims.

The protein in it ‘contributes to a growth in muscle mass’, while the pantothenic acid found in lentils can help reduce tiredness and ‘improve mental performance’.

Walnuts are part of the healthiest meal ever according to scientists

For dessert, a live yogurt-based blancmange topped with walnuts and a sugar-free caramel-flavoured sauce scores well as being good for digestion, the teeth and blood glucose control.
The inclusion of guar gum in the dessert is said to help in the maintenance of normal blood cholesterol, while lactulose ‘contributes to an acceleration of intestinal transit’.

The walnuts in the topping are a superfood – consumption of 30g a day, or a small handful, is proven to ‘contribute to the improvement of the elasticity of blood vessels’.

The scientists also included their own sports drink creation which could genuinely claim to boost performance. Its many ingredients include micro nutrients such as biotin, calcium, zinc, chromium copper, iron, potassium, selenium, and magnesium.

Biotin, for example, can help the metabolism, the nervous system, skin and hair, while calcium is good for muscle function and the bones.

Eat your greens: The study showed that salad as well as berries and nuts are a vital part of a healthy diet, so there is no escape from vegetables

Other recommendations include a concoction for dieters – a mixed berry shake that serves as a meal replacement.

Its ingredients include Glucomannan, which contributes to weight loss for someone on a calorie controlled or energy restricted diet.

For cold days or nights, there is a velvety hot chocolate drink containing melatonin, which helps send you to sleep quickly at night.

As a final helpful thought, the experts recommend activated charcoal tablets, which contribute to ‘reducing excessive flatulence after eating’.

Dr Paul Berryman, the Leatherhead chief executive, conceived the idea as a perfect airline meal, but says the ingredients and dishes would work just as well in the home.

‘We have also shown that healthy foods do not have to be dull,’ he said. ‘We carry out thousands of consumer taste tests a year and one thing is clear. No matter how healthy, if foods do not taste good they will not sell.’

10 Habits Bosses Love

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By Margaret Steen

Every boss wants employees who do their jobs well. But even among highly competent employees, practicing certain habits can really make you distinguish yourself. Here are 10 tips for making sure you’re on the boss’s A-list:

Communicate, Communicate, Communicate

Especially at the beginning of your relationship — that is, when either you or the boss is new to the job — err on the side of giving your boss too much information and asking too many questions.

“There’s no such thing as a dumb question,” says Marianne Adoradio, a Silicon Valley recruiter and career counselor. “Look at it as information gathering.”

Don’t keep up the constant stream of communication unless your boss likes it, though. It’s best to ask directly whether you’re giving the boss enough information or too much.

Acknowledge What the Boss Says

Bosses appreciate “responsive listening,” says John Farner, principal of Russell Employee Management Consulting. When your boss asks you to do something or suggests ways for you to improve your work, let her know you heard.

Collaborate

When your boss has a new idea, respond to it in a constructive way instead of throwing up roadblocks.

“Be willing to brainstorm ways to get something done,” says Michael Beasley, principal of Career-Crossings and a leadership and career development coach.

Build Relationships

You’ll make your boss look good if you establish a good rapport with your department’s customers, whether they’re inside the company or outside. Bring back what you learn — about ways to offer better customer service, for example — to your boss. This is also helpful for your own career development.

“Everybody wins in the long run,” Adoradio says.

Understand How You Fit In

Is your boss detail-oriented, or someone who keeps his head in the clouds?

“The boss’s personality is just incredibly important,” says Norm Meshriy, a career counselor and principal of Career Insights.

Equally important is understanding what your boss wants in an employee. It may be, for example, that a boss who is detail-oriented will expect his employees to be as well. But a boss who has no time for details may actually appreciate an employee who does.

Learn the Boss’s Pet Peeves

If your manager has said repeatedly that she hates being interrupted first thing in the morning, don’t run to her office to give her a project update when you first get in.

Anticipate the Boss’s Needs

Once you have worked with your boss for a while, you should be able to guess what information he will want before approving your purchase order, for example.

If you provide it ahead of time, “that’s a gold star,” Farner adds.

Think One Level Up

You still need to do your own job, of course. But when managers consider who deserves a promotion, they look for people who understand the issues that their bosses face.

Open Yourself to New Ways of Doing Things

When your boss comes to you with a new idea, don’t simply dismiss it. If you don’t think it will work, offer to discuss it further in “a mature, responsible, adult-like way,” Beasley says.

Be Engaged in Your Work

Arguing with your boss over every request is not a good strategy, but neither is simply shrugging your shoulders and agreeing with everything your boss says. “The manager would like to see an engaged individual,” Beasley says. That means both showing enthusiasm for your work and speaking up when you see room for improvement.

Only The Strong Survive: Lift To Live Longer

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Written by: Nick Bromberg

“I used to be able to do that when I was your age.”

It’s a phrase you’ve undoubtedly heard countless times. Heck, many of you have probably uttered a similar line more times than you’d like to admit.

The aging process can be a hard thing to accept. Our bodies make it easier to store fat as we start to lose muscle. Aches and pains that didn’t exist 10 years ago occur on a frequent basis.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. We’re all going to go down someday, but why go down without a fight? With the right training approach, your athletic prime could be in front of you, rather than a speck in the rear-view mirror.

“We’ve seen research on every age group, from children to men and women in their 90s, and it’s clear that you can get stronger at any age,” says Lou Schuler, co-author of the new book The New Rules of Lifting for Life.

“That’s pretty well-established. What’s less well known is that strength is directly correlated to longevity. It almost doesn’t matter what type of strength is being measured — abs, thighs, grip. The strongest people live the longest. So no matter what age you are, being even a little stronger is always better.

“The great thing about strength training is that it addresses most of the major problems that sneak up on us as we get older. The average man or woman will lose about 1 percent of their muscle mass per year, starting in middle age. With muscle goes a lot of stuff we rarely think about — the thickness and strength of our tendons and ligaments, the size of our bones, the number of muscle fibers and nerves we can call on when we need them.”

But don’t blindly dash off to the gym just yet in your newfound quest to be the oldest living person. You have to train intelligently; focusing on stability and mobility in the areas you need it most, and total body strength. Strength that comes from lifting relatively heavy weights — that means you, ladies — and for the guys, total-body workouts that don’t involve 15 different sets of arm exercises.

“Middle-aged and older women think their bones will shatter if they pick up a weight that’s heavier than their purse. There’s nothing stranger than seeing a woman do a bench press or bent-over row with a dumbbell that’s smaller than her forearm,” Schuler says.

“Then you have the guy with a 40-inch waist who comes into the gym and spends the first half-hour working on his arms. Those are the only exercises he can do with weights that seem manly enough for him. First of all, what a total freaking waste of time. Here’s a guy with a body that, more than anything, needs exercise. It needs to move. And what’s he doing? He’s sitting on a bench, trying to move nothing but his elbow joints.”

We need that stability most in our midsections — namely our abdominals and lower back — which are abused daily when we sit in our cars, at our desks, and in front of the television. We need the mobility in areas like our hips and shoulders, which also suffer greatly during our prolonged periods of sitting down. And what’s the best antidote for sitting down? Standing up — and Schuler’s co-author Alwyn Cosgrove incorporates that premise frequently.

“Sitting for hours at a time is probably the most dangerous thing we do on a daily basis,” Schuler says. “But when people go to the gym, young or old, what do they do? They sit. They sit on recumbent bikes, they sit down to do cable rows and lat pulldowns, they sit on benches to do shoulder presses. In between sets, they sit some more.

“In Alwyn’s workouts, you don’t sit. If you’re going to do a lat pulldown, you’re either kneeling or standing. Same with a cable row. It’s a great exercise when you stand up to do it. You have to brace the muscles in your core to maintain your balance and posture. Not only does that make it tougher, it keeps you on your feet.”

And it may make you the last one standing.